Family Ties
by dreamerandwriter93
Summary: On Hold For Editing.....
1. Dead on Arrival

**A/N: So this a pilot. Your reviews will determine if I continue to post this story here on . So thanks for opinions and support. Oh, Title from Fall Out Boy. They always have awesome inspiration for me. **

**Chapter 1-Dead on Arrival**

**~Jake~**

Jake hasn't cried since he was nine. That is almost half his lifetime.

It had been his mother's funeral. He had stood in his slightly scratchy suit and watched as the one person he had in the world was placed six feet under.

After that day he told himself that he was alone. In his nine-year-old mind that meant that he was a man. Men don't cry. Men fix what is broken. Even though he couldn't fix his mother's death he could fix his future.

Now here he was. In the same situation except all the emotion had been removed. Jake watched as his father was lowered into the grave. He stood tall, back straight, his expression fixed. Jake is finally free today. He no longer is forced to answer to the man that fathered him. Jake watched the crowd. There were two young brunette girls crying not too far to his right. He didn't recognize them.

Two days later when he strolled into the lawyer's office he recognized them. He stopped and stared, now with the two teenage girls was an older woman who obviously was the mother of the two. The older one looked back at him. He murmured hello and took the only empty seat left.

Harrison, the estate's lawyer entered the room. "Ah, good you are all here." He sat down behind his desk and pulled out a thick file.

"First, let me offer you condolences to your terrible loss." Harrison said glancing at each person as he said this.

"Now, Mr. McDonald left behind a large estate which is to be shared equally between his children. Mrs. Venturi," he addressed the older woman, "Dennis states that you are to be executor of the estate and guardian of all of his children."

She nodded but looked a little confused. "Yes, I understand but I already have full custody of Lizzie and Casey."

Jake lifted his head. "Um, I do not have siblings. Dad and Mom were a onetime thing. Dad didn't mention any other kids."

The girls looked at him with big eyes.

"Dad?" the older one questioned. "Are you saying that Dennis McDonald is your father?" She choked on a sob. The younger one finally lifted her head and Jake could see his father's eyes – his eyes- staring at him.

Jake clenched and unclenched his jaw. "Are you saying that the man who took me in when I was ten is not my father and that the DNA and physical similarities are wrong?" Jake was angrier than he should be and he tried counting to ten but then the girl spoke again.

"No I am saying that you are my brother and obviously Dad had some reason for hiding you. Maybe it's because he was ashamed of you." She spat out angrily. Her blue eyes glinted at him, daring him to prove her wrong.

He glared at her. "Dad had plenty of secrets considering I am older than you." Her face fell as she registered the fact that he _was_ older than her.

"Guess so."

Jake leaned back into his chair as he observed the other two women. Their mother was quiet throughout the whole exchange and the younger sister just stared.

**~Lizzie~**

The guy who walked into the room after them was tall. _He's easily six foot two_. She thought as she glanced at the giant when he sat down.

Now as she stared at him she can see her dad. They had the same eyes. The light brown ones that she got from Dennis, in fact if she looks closer she can see that they even are the same shape as her and her father's.

Lizzie only half-listened to Casey rant at the guy. She's placing all her anger about their Dad's death on him.

Casey was about to start to really tear into the guy when Lizzie decided to talk.

"Hi, I'm Lizzie. What's your name?" she asked. He looked at her as if she is crazy.

"Strange question to ask your big brother, isn't it? My name's Jake Milton." He answered smiling a little, as if Lizzie amused him.

"Milton?" Casey jumped. "Why don't you go by McDonald?" Lizzie looked at her and spotted the arched eyebrows, an expression that she usually reserved for Derek.

"I go by Milton because until I was nine I never met Dennis McDonald. I only knew his name from the checks that came once a month." Jake told her coldly. "Besides I never considered myself a McDonald. He never was a father, just an atm."

Casey's jaw dropped open at this. Lizzie too was shocked.

"Dad may have been absent but he is a good person. He tried." Lizzie stated. It's true. Their dad tried but he was better at being a long distant father.

Jake looked at her again. She knows he thinks she is confused and glorifying he father. But she's not. Dennis McDonald tried and that's all that matters to Lizzie.

"Ahem." Everyone turned and looked at the lawyer. Mr. Harrison, Lizzie remembered.

"I know that you all have issues with what has or has not been kept from you." Mr. Harrison gently said. He was trying to keep everyone calm. "But Jake because you are only seventeen you are now in Mrs. Venturi's custody. She also will be responsible for handling all three of your inheritances and the managing of them."

Lizzie noticed how Jake visibly tenses at this new shock.

"So will Jake being moving to London?" she heard herself asking. Her mom who had been silent looked up.

"I…I don't know." Nora answered truthfully and that is when Lizzie knows that Dennis McDonald left a mess for them to clean up.

**~Jake~**

His "sisters" didn't know how to react, Jake noticed. The younger one is so…..so young. She seemed almost broken at the death of her father.

Jake noticed how she defended him. She had him on a pedestal that he didn't deserve.

Then the bombshell was released. Jake thought he was finally free. Now he is forced to live with a woman he does not know.

"Why can't I live on my own with my inheritance? I am almost eighteen." Jake questioned.

The lawyer nodded. "But if you want your inheritance, you must go live with Nora and finish high school. Your father has tied up every loop-hole here."

Jake fisted his hands in his pockets. He started scowling. Just like the old fuck to screw Jake's plans.

Nora looked over at him and Jake knew that she hated him. There's no question he could see the hate in her eyes.

Unconsciously he clenched his jaw again. Another person who didn't give a damn. He had lived with enough of them to be able to survive one more year.

"Whatever. Mrs. Venturi- "

"Nora," the woman answered tightly.

"Nora," Jake amended, "is it possible for me to stay here?"

Harrison cleared his throat. "Actually, the house is to be sold and you have nowhere to live if you stay in New York."

Jake clenched his jaw even tighter. His mouth was numb but it didn't register in his mind.

"So there's no other option?" he ground out.

"Jake, there's plenty of room for you in London. But first I have to talk to my husband." _Nora_ said politely.

Casey muttered just loud enough for him to hear. "Great! Another freaking Brady to add to the bunch."

He raised his eyebrow but she just fumed silently in her chair. Lizzie was studying as if something had just occurred to her. The only one who looked amused was Harrison.

Just peachy.

**~Casey~**

She stared at him. He resembled her father. He was taller but had the same light brown eyes and his hair was the same shade that Dennis had when he was younger.

She bit her lip. She could see he was obviously related to her and Liz.

How could he not tell them that he had another kid?

Casey watched as his jaw muscle jumped. She knew he was trying to resist saying anything else.

"So you are coming to London." She stated. "I guess that's another hell I'll have to live with."

As she said it she could see him clench his jaw shut even tighter as he glared at her.

She smirked at getting him pissed. If he knew he wasn't welcome then he wouldn't stay because honestly Casey had enough trouble in her life.

"You know, little sis, you need to shut your mouth. Some people don't have my patience for pains in the ass." He said coolly but Casey saw his narrowing in anger.

Did he think she was going to lie down and take his shit? Well she was going to teach him otherwise.

"Ahem, I know you will all want to go over the details of Dennis' will so I will fax it to you. But if you will please excuse me I have another meeting soon." Mr. Harrison stood up and shook all of their hands before ushering them out into the lobby of the law offices.

"Casey, let's go." Nora said to her daughter. "Jake, I will call with the flight information. We will be leaving in a week will that be enough time to get all your things in order?" Nora asked not looking at him but focused on a point behind his shoulder.

He stared at her and Casey could see disgust in his gaze. "Yes." Then he turned and left. No goodbye or anything.

Casey bit the inside of her cheek so hard she could taste blood on her tongue.

She followed her mother out into the street.

"Why should we put up with him?" She hissed, "He's rude and insensitive." Nora nodded distractedly as she tried to flag down a cab.

"Mom, did you know about him?" Casey asked. The thought just occurred to her and it disgusted her that she believed that her mother would lie to her.

Nora stopped waving her arm to get a cabbie's attention. "I am just as shocked about Jake as you are." Nora defended.

Casey nodded as Lizzie gently elbowed her. Yeah she got it, Liz. Mom's hurting bad at Dad's betrayal, keep our mouths shut.

A car pulled up next to the curb; quietly Casey entered the cab after Lizzie. Casey sighed and looked out the window at New York as it sped by. There was no one to talk to, no way to talk to anyone. The whole thing was choked up in everybody's throats and Casey just wanted to scream.

**~ Edwin ~**

Edwin was confused. He sat on his bed and watched as Derek hauled a mattress up the stair and into his room.

"Uh, D. What are you doing?" Edwin asked his older brother.

"Ed, give me a hand." Derek grunted pulling the mattress up two more steps. Edwin climbed off his bed and helped Derek carry the mattress up to his room.

"You don't do nice things very often. So I guess thanks but I already have a mattress." Edwin said as Derek balanced it against the wall and covered it with a blanket from the floor.

"It's not for you, Ed." Derek said turning around smirking, "It's Casey's."

Edwin stared. He had to be dreaming even Derek was not that inconsiderate. "Derek. What are you doing? You know their dad just died."

Derek continued to smirk. "That's the point Ed. If I don't pull a prank on Casey she might think that I forgot about her."

Edwin nodded though he didn't understand his older brother's twisted logic.

"Good, now help me with the next part of the prank." Derek said walking down the steps towards Casey's room.

**~Jake~**

The plane ride was uncomfortable. He sat next to his favorite sister, Casey.

It was so much fun. If you think having someone pointedly ignore you and mutter about how much they hate you under the breath as fun then it was like freaking Disney world.

When they arrived in London, Nora's new husband, George, picked them up.

"Hi, I'm George." He said smiling as he firmly shook Jake's hand. Jake gave him a tight-lipped smile.

They all sat in the family car in silence. Jake stared out at the new town he lived in. It looked no different than any number of towns he had seen throughout his life but it still felt different.

George cleared his throat. "So Jake, you will have to share a room." Jake looked up and saw George studying him in the rearview mirror.

"Okay." Jake replied.

George continued. "You'll be with my oldest son, Derek. I believe that you two will get along just fine."

Jake nodded and continued to look out the window. The kid was probably some loser who thought he and Jake were gonna be best friends. Yeah right.

The house was nice. Not as nice as Denis' but nicer than the one-bedroom apartment that he and his mom had lived in.

"Welcome home, Jake." Nora said opening the front door. Jake fought back a snort.

On the couch there were two kids, a boy of thirteen and a girl of eight or nine. The little girl was decked out in a dress-up gown and tiara.

"Lizzie, Casey!" she exclaimed running up to the two girls and hugging them. Then she turned to Nora. "Oh, goodie the Queen is back! Being Queen is hard work I prefer being a princess." She said dramatically as Nora picked her up and hugged her.

"Marti, Edwin I would like to introduce you to Casey and Lizzie's big brother, Jake." George said to the little girl.

She gave him a critical eye. For the first time in his life he was nervous about a child's opinion of him.

"Hello." He said.

"Cats or dogs?" she asked. Jake raised his eyebrow he looked around and spotted cat ears lying on the steps but then he saw the picture of Marti and a golden retriever.

"Um, both?" he said questioningly.

She grinned. "Good, you'll be a great big brother." She hopped of Nora's arms. "Will you play dress up with me? Smerek doesn't have time anymore."

Marti stood in front of him pouting. "I guess so." She burst out in a big smile and Jake couldn't help but smile back.

It was probably his first smile in a while and Casey looked shocked while everyone else looked relieved.

"So Jake," Edwin said standing up, "What do you think of a little business proposition?"

Jake narrowed his eyes. "I don't really spend my money on much. Just the essentials."

"It will be worth your time." Edwin said his eyes gleaming. Until Jake said no, his opportunity was wide open.

Jake sighed. "I guess it couldn't hurt to listen. Is it a good investment?"

Edwin's eyes lit up. "It will be an amazing one!"

Casey huffed a little. "Can I go upstairs now?" Nora looked over at her.

"Okay sweetie." She said then looked around. "Where's Derek?" Edwin shrugged and Marti didn't seem fazed by her other brother's absence.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Why do you even bother? He is at work or Sam's but most importantly he is not here."

Just then the front door opened and a kid around Jake's age with brown hair walked in dropping a duffel bag.

Jake noticed how Casey tensed and the family seemed to brace themselves for something.

"God, Case, is it just me or did you uglier?" He asked in a normal tone before hugging Lizzie and allowing himself to be trapped by Nora. He then noticed Jake and glanced over at him.

"Who's Mr. Stick-Up-The-Ass?" Derek asked.

Jake raised his eyebrows. _Stick up his ass?_

"Jake Milton." Jake said firmly staring the guy down.

Derek shrugged it off. "So when's dinner?" He asked sitting down in the recliner in front of the TV.

The room seemed to diffuse of tension. Apparently the only thing that mattered to that jerk was food.

Jake was led to his new bedroom by Edwin.

Jake opened the door and saw only one bed and a huge mess. He glanced at Edwin.

"Dad didn't have time to assemble the new beds before he had to pick you up. Also, just a heads up, Derek thinks you are bunking with me but my room is too small." Edwin explained in rush.

Jake groaned internally. "He's not going to be happy is he?"

Jake saw Casey head up the stairs and into the room next door. She avoided his gaze the whole time.

Edwin noticed the (non)interaction between the blood siblings.

"Casey isn't as bad as you think." He told Jake before heading up to his attic bedroom.

Jake sighed and headed into his new room.

All of a sudden he heard something like a crash from next door followed by a shout.

"De-rek!" he heard Casey yell. He then knew what the family was bracing themselves for.


	2. The Breakdown

**Sorry it took so long I lost my notes for this chapter and then finals came. In case you didn't know I am a little bit of a nerd. Okay I'm a huge nerd but if it helps my case I hang out with preppy emo kids.**

**Okay, some questions answered. I'm making Jake's birthday in June, so the story begins the last week of August, right before Jake's senior year. So Derek's birthday is going to be December. I don't really care if this goes against the series it works for me. So Derek is sixteen almost seventeen. And Casey's birthday is around six months after Derek's, so May and she just turned sixteen. The other kids' ages fall in line with that. **

**Oh title. The Breakdown by Alexz Johnson.**

**Chapter 2 – The Breakdown**

_~Jake~_

Jake couldn't hear a damn thing either one of them was saying. All he knew was that from the moment Casey screeched she and Derek had been moving closer and closer. Pretty soon they were plastered against one another, screaming in each other's faces.

Then Derek smirks. The silence breaks.

"DER-EK!!" Casey yells.

Jake watches as the two stalk away from each other. Casey heads down the stairs to the adults (parents but not _his_). Derek comes towards Jake.

"Outta my way, asshole." Derek snaps attempting to shove past Jake. Jake stood firm.

"I don't think so." Jake scoffed.

Derek raised his eyebrow. "What trying to play big brother? Well I got news for you. Casey and Lizzie don't need you. They can take care of themselves. So if I were you I would just keep my head down and get out as soon as I could."

Jake plants his feet. "Good thing you're not."

Derek scoffs. "You really think that you can come in here and change things."

Jake just raised his eyebrow in response. Derek snorted and shoved past Jake. "You have got a lot to learn." He tossed over his shoulder before heading into his (their) room and blasting music.

Jake sighed and headed down the stairs. He should really attempt to get on better terms with a guy who he would be sharing a room with for the next year or so.

"But he's insensitive!" whined Casey from the kitchen. Jake heard her voice from the bottom of the stairs. Lizzie and Marti were ignoring it like it was a normal occurrence.

"Casey, why don't you go and check on your brother?" Jake heard George ask. The bile in his stomach immediately rose to his throat.

Before he could hear a response from Casey, Jake turned and bolted up the stair, straight to the bathroom.

He quickly emptied his stomach in to the bowl. Jake flushed the toilet and stood up. In the mirror he saw his reflection but that's not what caught his eye. Marti or maybe even Edwin must have hung it up. It was a picture of Dennis and Casey and Lizzie. Jake pulled it off the mirror and on the back he saw writing.

_Figured you'd want it._

The scribble was barely legible. Jake had the irresistible urge to put in his pocket. So he did.

_~Derek~_

He was agitated. He didn't get the fight he wanted from Casey. She just yelled about his stupid prank and just as they were about to get into it she walked away.

Derek turned up the radio a bit louder as he fumed. Why would she ignore a fight?

Derek must have gone through three CD's before George knocked on his door.

"Derek, we need to talk." George said attempting to be serious. Derek rolled his eyes.

"What? Casey just can't..." But George cut him off.

"I'm not here to talk about Casey. Derek, I know you aren't happy about Jake coming to live with us. But, I need you to watch out for him."

"Why should I watch out for him? He's a dickhead." Derek retorted.

It was George's turn to roll his eyes. "Because I said so. You two are going to share this room and no pranks played on him or Casey. They just lost their Dad." George smiled and got up before Derek could say anything. "Oh," he yelled over his shoulder. "You're grounded for two weeks for the prank."

Derek groaned. Stupid Casey, stupid Jake, and stupid Dennis McDonald.

~_Edwin_~

He was sitting on his bed talking with Lizzie.

"So what do you think?" Edwin asked biting his lip. He was nervous; Jake didn't seem like the type of guy who would take Derek and Casey's attacks lying down.

Lizzie shrugged. "I don't know Edwin. Is it wrong for me to be angry at my Dad for not telling us?"

Edwin shook his head. "I don't think so." Lizzie nodded.

"I just…..I just wish this was all a nightmare. I'll wake up tomorrow and it'll all be over and my Dad will be back and Jake'll be gone. Everything would be the way it's supposed to be." She said lying down on Edwin's bed.

"Ok, Liz. We'll figure it out. I mean the two of us. Albert Einstein got nothing on us." Edwin joked.

The two of them just stayed there for awhile.

Derek came up the stairs at one point and grunted at them before opening up the window and climbing out of it.

"Found out about sharing his room?" questioned Lizzie.

"Found out about sharing his room." Confirmed Edwin. Then the two broke into giggles.

~_Casey_~

She was furious. Everyone was so concerned about Jake. For the whole first week after he moved in George and Nora were fawning all over him.

Was he adjusting okay? Did he mind sharing the room? Were the younger kids annoying him?

Edwin and Marti took to him like glue. They were always playing with him or showing him around town. It was like they all forgot about her and Lizzie. Well Lizzie didn't seem to be doing so bad.

Lizzie seemed semi-normal. She threw herself into the back to school preparation and didn't focus on the huge momentous black hole of a lie their father left behind.

Casey on the other hand locked herself in her room. She finished all her summer assignments weeks ago but she redid them and added notes to her outlines, footnotes to her essays, and even color-coded her notes.

That took her two days with no sleep, minimal bathroom and food breaks. She was trying to stay away from them all and their pity looks. At least school was next week and would provide distraction.

The third day Casey reorganized her closet and dresser. She got rid of old clothes and sorted the rest by color and style. Her shoes too were cleaned and sorted.

She finished that around six p.m. So she started cleaning her room. The tops of the dressers, underneath, and even under her bed faced her fury.

She cleaned every possible part of her room by 3 a.m. of the fifth day. She had gone two days without eating. Three without a shower and probably just as long without brushing her teeth.

At this time she decided to finally shower and brush her teeth. Grabbing clean clothes from her recently organized closet Casey headed to the bathroom.

After showering and grooming herself, Casey felt a sliver of her old self come back. She walked out of the bathroom and right into Derek.

"Ouch!' he whispered furious at her.

Casey didn't respond; her head was spinning too fast. Derek looked at her and grabbed her arms.

"Case, are you okay?" Derek asked steadying her. Casey tried to talk but couldn't form words.

"How long has it been since you have eaten something?" Derek asked. Casey glared at him and shook out of his grasp.

"Awhile I guess, c'mon." Derek responded grabbing her hand and pulling her down the stairs to the kitchen.

Casey struggled out of his grasp. "Derek, I'm fine."

Derek just nodded and grabbed a box of cereal, a bowl, and the milk.

"Eat." He commanded. Casey raised her eyebrows.

"We can fight later when you're not about to pass out due to hunger." Derek smirked.

Casey rolled her eyes but quickly poured the cereal and milk into the bowl. "Where's the spoon?" she demanded.

Derek rolled her eyes and held the spoon out to her. Casey took it and dug in. The house was comfortably silent as she ate.

"I thought you were grounded?" Casey asked as she finished off the cereal.

Derek rolled his eyes. "Since when has that stopped me and aren't you supposed to be a hermit?"

"Ha ha, very funny. Do you mind sharing a room with _him_?" Casey shot back placing her bowl in the sink.

"I don't know I'm not home much to care." Derek told her.

Casey sighed. "He's…..what am I supposed to do about him?" Derek shrugged.

"He's not my problem. And I really couldn't give a shit. Everything was fine before he came and as soon as he takes off it will go back to normal." Derek said leaning against the island.

Casey stood next to him. "You mean we will fight like crazy again and you will be a jerk?"

Derek laughed. "Yeah and your bitchiness will be less. I can't believe a few weeks ago I thought you couldn't be a bigger bitch."

Casey gasped. "Hey. I am not a bitch." She slapped the back of Derek's head. Derek snorted.

"Space Case if you are not a bitch then I am not the friggin' most amazing guy in our school."

"Good because you aren't." Casey stuck her tongue out at Derek.

"That's it you're going down." Derek said as he started chasing her around the island. Casey let out a shriek of laughter. It was the first thing she had actually enjoyed since she had found out about her father's death.

~_Jake_~

He had taken to waking up early here in London. Back in New York he was dead until about 1 in the afternoon. But all of a sudden in London, waking up at 5:30 in the morning seemed natural.

He liked to walk around the house a bit at this time. Derek will have just passed out after sneaking back in and the rest of the house would still be sleeping.

Jake noticed that the twin bed Derek had been forced into was empty. He didn't think much about it as he changed into a pair of shorts and a white tee. He pulled on sneakers and quickly left the room.

Jake couldn't stand his new half-step-brother. Derek was loud and brash. Derek was immature and didn't give a shit about anyone but himself. Jake thought he was a weak little ass. Especially for the way he picked on Casey and Edwin.

Jake quietly climbed down the stairs. He paused halfway down. On the couch, sleeping lay Derek and Casey. Casey was passed out with her head against Derek's shoulder and Derek was slouched over his head flung back, snoring. They both were fully dressed and the TV was flickering in front of them, volume muted.

This was the first time he had seen his sister since they arrived in London. He didn't know how to approach her. She seemed so angry and supercilious. He felt that would never be able to even be civil with her.

He continued down the stairs and walked out the front door. He plugged in his headphones and attempted to drown out the thoughts.

It didn't work. He ran past his _new_ school.

How could Casey hate him so much but the guy who treats her like crap she leans on? It doesn't make sense to him.

What was he missing in this effing town?

_~Nora~_

She opened the door at the top of the stairs and listened. It was six a.m. too early for Jake to be back from his run and too late for Derek to be sneaking in.

She entered the kitchen and sighed. Since when had she taken to avoiding the people she lived with?

But as nice as pretended to be to Jake she couldn't stand to see him more than once a day.

It burned her to look at him and see the cause for the failure of her marriage. She knew the minute he walked into the lawyer's office that this is what came between her and Dennis.

Although Nora never knew for sure she had always suspected that Dennis had cheated. When they received their bank statements money was always missing. For "business" transactions he had said.

She _**knew **_how many nights she had spent alone in their marriage. She _**knew **_how many times he had broken promises. And _**she knew**_ how much more she loved him than he loved her.

She leaned against the island. It burned to see that smile again or to hear the voice that was exactly the same as Dennis'. She felt all the old hurts and resentments rise up like bile in her throat.

Nora pushed it all back down. There was no time for wallowing. She had five six kids to take care of as well as a husband and a career.

Dennis MacDonald and all his lies could continue to rot in hell without any visits from her.


	3. 21 Guns

**Thank you so much for reading and reviewing and I apologize in advance for me being lazy I put chapters out randomly and slowly. I want to finish this story and I hope that everyone likes it and enjoys it.**

**And if anyone wants to be my beta just message me. I would love it. Title 21 Guns by Green Day. **

**Chapter 3 – 21 Guns**

_~Derek~_

School started on Monday and nothing had really changed.

On the car ride over Jake had been shoved into the back seat as Derek drove and Casey claimed shotgun. Jake was squished in the back but he refused to voice his discomfort. Derek pulled the car into the lot and turned it off.

"We don't know each other." Derek said firmly meeting Jake's gaze in the rearview mirror. If it was possible Jake's eye turned from brown to black.

"Whatever." Jake said as the three exited the car.

Now Derek was standing by his locker talking to Sam and Ralph when he spotted Casey and Jake walking down the hall. Casey was completely ignoring the other boy. It gave Derek a small satisfaction knowing that Jake was completely alone on the first day. Derek knew it was petty and immature but he didn't care.

"So why are you spending so much time at my house?"Asked Sam not noticing Casey or the new guy. Derek stared at him and cleared his throat.

"Uh."

Ralph raised his eyebrows. "He's been at your place too. I don't think I've ever seen this much of D before." He tried joking.

Derek nodded. "It was suggested I be around as little as possible after Casey and Lizzie's Dad died."

"Harsh. How are they holding up?" Sam asked.

Derek shrugged trying to avoid the topic. Just this morning everything seemed to be going fine when Nora handed Lizzie her lunch and Lizzie burst into tears. Derek ran out of the house. He caught Casey say something about their Dad always making their lunches when they were younger. Casey wasn't much better. She stayed holed up in her room even after Friday night.

Sam nodded. "I guess they are taking it in stride. I thought I saw Casey when I came in earlier."

Ralph nodded. "Yeah I saw her and the new guy too." Derek fought to keep his expression calm but the bell rang saving him.

_~Jake~_

School was typical. He went into the office and was handed a map, a schedule, and a slip of paper with his locker number and combination on it. No one even asked any of those pesky questions about family.

He was late to his first period class. The principal and the guidance counselor both sat him down and talked about his feelings.

"It's okay to be angry or upset at your father." The counselor (just call me, _**Paul**_) had said. Like Jake was an idiot. He sat there quietly and listened. He nodded when he was supposed to and agreed to see Paul if anything ever bothered him. But Jake ignored it all. The bullshit that the school was doing to try and **help** him.

The principal looked relieved that Jake didn't appear to be about to kill himself or anyone here. After several more minutes of assuring Paul that he would stop by sometime this week, Jake was handed a pass and sent off to first period. He walked the empty hallways and imagined running into his sister or even worse Derek here. (He shuddered.)

Jake walked into the classroom and all eyes were on him. He was a new _**SENIOR**_. That was strange in any school, no matter how big or small.

The teacher was a young guy, in his late twenties perhaps. He eyed Jake tiredly. Jake just handed him the pass. The teacher quickly scanned it.

"Okay Milton, take a seat. I'm not going to make you introduce yourself to the class because that always bores the shit out of me. So just a question, are you a pain in the ass?" The teacher asked as he sat on the desk.

Jake raised an eyebrow. "I say no, but you can make up your own mind."

The teacher grinned. "I will, now sit and welcome to Calculus I'm Mr. Mike."

Jake nodded and made his way to the back of the room with the entire class watching his progress. He sat next to a blonde girl and pulled out a notebook. The class went by quickly with Mr. Mike just explaining rules and handing out textbooks.

The blonde on his left turned to face him after Mr. Mike said, "I have nothing else to say. Free time."

"So," she said, "Milton? Your first name?"

Jake shook his head. "Jake Milton."

She smiled. "Kendra James. So you are the new senior. Interesting."

Jake raised his eyebrow and Kendra laughed. "It's just unusual to see a brand new senior. And I have to admit I am the queen of gossip in this school."

Jake shrugged. "Not really. I just moved because of my dad." Kendra stared at him.

"You know you are a really bad liar. But don't worry you don't have to me anything." She informed him before turning to the front of the room. Derek had just walked in.

"Venturi, what are you doing? You have class." Mr. Mike said from the front of the room. Derek smirked at him.

"Mike, it's the first day and Senora Sanchez was ecstatic to have me leave the room. So I came to visit." Derek replied. The class around him seemed to erupt in laughter. Jake just raised his eyebrows.

Kendra leaned over. "Derek Venturi's basically the top of the food chain here. Everyone pretty much respects him." She whispered. Jake nodded.

Derek glanced back at them before striding towards them. Jake was preparing for a fight. He knew Derek said that shit this morning to get him off his guard.

"Ken, what happened last night?" Derek said stopping in front of Kendra's desk.

Kendra shrugged. "I don't know."

Derek smirked. "I heard you and Danny Johnson went out last night. Why would you play with a little boy like Danny?" He leaned forward until his face was just inches from Kendra's. The entire class was listening to the conversation.

Kendra shrugged again. "Maybe I wanted a nice guy." Derek chuckled.

"You don't do nice guys."

Jake wanted to puke as he listened to this. Derek was being such an ass. Kendra didn't seem to mind and if the looks that the other girls were giving her was any indication, everyone enjoyed an asshole Derek.

Derek glanced over at him. "Now you would go on a date with a nice guy like Danny but what he walks you to the door and says good-night?" Derek chuckled as Kendra glared at him.

"And what's wrong with guys who like to take it slow?" She asked cocking her head to the side. Derek smiled at her. Not his usual smirk.

"They don't make your heart beat fast enough. Next time call me, I always got time for you Ken." He said.

Kendra smiled at him. "We'll see." Derek got up with one final glance at Jake and headed out of the classroom.

Jake looked at Kendra who seemed to be glowing. "I guess you two are a thing." Kendra turned to face him. She blinked several times as if she had been blinded. Yup, the school believed the sun shone out of Derek's ass.

"Well, we were a thing. But I mean I like him and he likes me, we just fall apart every time. I'd rather stay his friend." Kendra said turning a bit more in the chair to face Jake. "I guess he saw us talking and wanted to make an impression on the new guy. You know, like Alpha male stuff."

Jake listened carefully to everything the blonde had said. He nodded. "Okay I guess."

The bell rang shortly after and Jake gave Kendra a small tight-lipped smile as he exited the room. So Derek was as Kendra put it "Alpha-male" and no one bothered to question it? Jake found that hard to believe.

_~Casey~_

Casey sighed in relief as she exited her math class. Now she had gym then lunch. Halfway through the day and she had successfully avoided both Derek and Jake.

"Hey Case, I'll see you at lunch." Emily told her from her side before turning and heading down the hallway. Casey nodded. Em hadn't brought up the (insignificantly huge) fact that Casey's dad had just died. Emily didn't talk about the new guy or what had happened to Casey the last week after Casey returned from New York.

Either her best friend had developed psychic abilities or she was warned to back off. Walking to the gym she focused on simply getting through the next period. Her head was pounding and it took all of her concentration to just not cry.

When she entered the gym she stopped short causing her friend, Kendra, to crash right into her.

"Ow, Case, why did you stop?" Kendra pouted rubbing her forehead as she stood next to Casey. But Casey didn't answer. She was too busy praying to God that this was a mistake. That there was no way both boys were in her gym class. But unfortunately both Derek Venturi and Jake Milton stood in the center of the gym, completely ignoring each other.

Kendra followed her gaze. "Ah! He was in my first period class. HOT! Name's Jake Milton. A senior who's new to town and Derek does not like him." Kendra was just a fountain of knowledge, Casey thought.

"Oh, I didn't notice him."Casey said offering Kendra a fake smile. The other girl nodded and didn't comment on the strain behind Casey's smile. The girls made their way to the bleachers with Casey muttering under her breath about her rotten luck.

"Bet it sucks to be in Derek's gym class again." Kendra commented as the two sat down. Casey looked at her distractedly.

"What?" the brunette asked.

"If I remember correctly, last year you two wound up with black eyes and bloody noses. Funny thing was you two were fighting for the ball when you were on the same team." Kendra teased her friend.

Casey gave Kendra a small smile but it was more sincere than anything she had done in a long time. "Derek was being stubborn and refused to pass me the ball." Casey defended.

Casey started biting her nails. _**DIRTY HABIT!**_ She shouted in her mind but continued to bite her nails down to nonexistence. She glanced about the room nervously as Kendra chattered on with the gossip of the day.

Perhaps she could transfer into a different gym class. It was only the first day and Casey still had plenty of time to convince the main office that she would benefit from a different gym period. Kendra nudged her, hard.

"Looks like someone wants your attention, Casey." Kendra said tilting her head in Max Miller's direction. Casey glanced over at him and saw him smile at her and gave him a small smile.

Derek suddenly blocked her vision. "Ken, what's up?" he asked nonchalantly while ignoring his stepsister.

Kendra straightened up. "Oh, I don't know, maybe just your ego. Why did you use me to intimidate the new guy? I bet he's the only reason you are talking to me right now?" Derek raised an eyebrow and Casey tuned out. She did not want to listen to the two flirt right now…or ever.

Casey stood up and Max waved at her. She headed over in his direction.

"Hey Case, where were you last week? It was like you feel off the face of the planet." Max greeted her grinning. She felt as if time slowed. Like she was in a movie and all of sudden everything around her was in slow motion.

She struggled to give an answer. "I…uh….I went to New York." She stopped. If she said anything else she was going to cry. She was so angry that she was about to cry for him. He didn't deserve her tears. She blinked and noticed that Max was staring slightly horrified.

"I'm sorry……" she trailed off and walked away. She told the teacher she wanted to go see Paul. She had never just left class before.

_~Derek~_

Casey had been a zombie until she had walked out of the gym. Derek saw her glassy eyes and knew that she had been about to break down. Max was clueless and freaked out at the first sign of her tears. No wonder she had run as far as she could from him.

Derek glanced down the hallway towards her locker and saw Casey just staring vacantly at the locker. He had lunch now and it would be relatively easy to skip out. Shit, he thought before walking down the hallway and grabbing Casey's arm.

"Derek!" she snapped automatically. Derek simply rolled his eyes and continued to drag her down the school hallway. The student body and administration had become so used to Derek and Casey fighting that neither was questioned as Derek forcibly moved Casey towards the exit.

"You know Casey, everyone would have understood if you didn't come to school today." Derek said as he opened the exit and dragged her down the school steps.

"I had to." She muttered.

"Only a keener." Derek told her.

She glared at him and dug her heels into the asphalt. "Derek. I demand you let go of me. I have class!" she screamed.

Derek just yanked her arm harder. Derek finally reached the car and opened the passenger door. He picked Casey up and dodged a kick to his family jewels and placed Casey in the car before locking her in and running to the driver's side.

"Nope." He said happily grabbing the back of her shirt as she struggled to get out of the car.

"De-REK!" she screeched. Damn his ears were bleeding. But he grinned at her and secured her belt. "Safety first, Spacey." He smirked at her and she shot him a dirty look and glared out the window as he pulled out of the school lot.

_~Kendra~_

Kendra scanned the lunch room as she sat down across from Jake Milton.

"You are quite the topic, Mr. Milton. So I decided to come over and start a few rumors and get more gossip, of course." She informed the boy. Jake smiled at her.

"At least you are honest. You are welcome to sit here and enjoy the silence because I do not have any information for you." Jake said. All the eyes in the room were on them. Kendra was so used to the feeling and she noticed that Jake must have been too. He didn't seem to notice a single glance or whisper.

"Oh, I already know all about you." Kendra said leaning closer. "I told you I am queen of gossip around here."

Jake laughed. "You barely know me from some rumors."

Kendra raised her eyebrow. He was daring to question her power. "Ok, Jake Milton. Seventeen years old from New York. Your father decided to move you here and you don't have a good relationship with him. You like sugar but eat plenty of fruit. In shape but not a bodybuilder, so you are definitely an athlete. Oh and how could I forget, Derek Venturi hates your guts."

Jake looked speechless. Kendra smiled in satisfaction. She knew how to read people, get information, and was pretty damn good at making guesses.

"Yeah, I thought so." She laughed as Jake struggled to say something.

"Ok so you are a good guesser. But there's a whole lot more that you are missing." Jake said standing up.

"Don't worry with a little effort I can know you better you know yourself." Kendra said standing up as well and walking away. She had a plan to figure out what was going between the new guy and Derek and all it took was that little bit of effort.

_~Max~_

After school Max was seated in Coach's office. He sat in the uncomfortable chair and started to worry. Was he in trouble? He knew that his grade weren't spectacular but there was no way he could be failing after the first day.

Coach stared at him. "Did you meet the new senior today?" Max nodded swallowing the lump in his throat.

Coach nodded. "Good, I need you to get Jake Milton to join the team. I was just faxed his transcript and spoke to his old coach. This kid could be our break." Max stared at Coach.

"So what? He doesn't need to try out?" Max asked annoyed.

Coach smiled. "There will be a try-out but I'm not worried about him not making the team. The kid was MVP in his league the past two years. Led his team to more titles then the damn Yankees."

Max nodded. "So he's that good huh?"

Coach smiled even wider. "He has so many scouts dying to recruit him. We can use this to get some of our boys full rides." Max nodded again. He knew that he needed a damn football scholarship for college.

"Alright, I'll try to convince him." Max said.

"He should still be here. The principal said something about him meeting with a counselor. He gets out at 3:30." Coach told Max. Max nodded.

Max was leaning against his SUV when Jake came out with a stream of kids taking care of last minute schoolwork. The guy scanned the lot; Max noticed probably waiting for a ride.

"Hey, man. You need a ride home?" Max asked.

Jake stared at him. "I'm Max. We have gym and lunch together." Jake's eyes lit up with recognition.

"Thanks but I'm good. I enjoy the walk anyway." Jake said. "I'm Jake by the way."

Max nodded. "I know. Coach is real interested in you. He asked me to convince you to try out for the football team. I think he said something about you being an MVP."

Jake's eyes narrowed a bit. "Yeah I played back in New York but I don't know."

"Come on, you got to love the game if you play the way Coach thinks you do. Besides you could probably get a full ride to college if you keep playing. Quitting senior year? Not smart." Max coaxed.

Jake seemed to think it over. "I guess I'll be there."

Max grinned. "Great! Oh, a heads up if you are gonna be a part of the football team avoid Derek Venturi and the hockey team. They just seem to hate us." Max didn't really notice the tightening of Jake's jaw.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note

So, I have decided I hate the way I am taking this story. So I am putting it on hold until I flesh out the first half of the story and then I will post the rough draft of the story. I will be editing it but will save the final draft for later. I apologize for this and I know how much I personally hate when others do this but I can't give you the story I was writing because it's crap plain and simple hopefully by September I can repost the new and improved Family Ties. Again I apologize.


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